Ravens Song
by AnimeDarkAngel
Summary: A student from Balaamb Garden goes on a journey to find a long lost friend, in the proces she discovers herself, and the truth about Headmaster Cid
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Once again…I don't own Final Fantasy…ug…I hate that.  
  
A/N: This is oh so fun. Actually I am enjoying typing my stories but when you type for seven hours straight. Yes with breaks. It gets kinda….dull…lifeless…boring….blah. But hey its for all of you so its worth it as long as you review. Oh hey. Also  
  
This is telepathy or mind reading.  
  
'This is thought'  
  
"and this is obviously talking."  
  
KK bye-bye!!  
  
Raven bounced the volleyball off the brick wall as boredom etched itself into her 17-year-old face. The sunlight glinted in her emotionless brown eyes. She released a discontented sigh as she allowed the volleyball to roll away into the field.  
  
"Akai, where did you go?"  
  
She felt her heart began to ache as she thought about her childhood friend. Allowing her feet to lead her back into the 75-year-old orphanage that she had lived in three years of her life. Her eyes half closed as she wandered past a group of younger children into her room. Her lips parting slightly she yawned in exhaustion. After working out all day her muscles ached and all she wanted to do was rest after a nice warm bubble bath. She calmly turned over the covers of her old mattress that lay on a broken bed frame. Peeling off her pants she grumbled as the cold air pierced her bare flesh. A light rapping sound entered the room and wisped around her ears.  
  
"Who, ah, never mind I don't care who you are. What do you want?"  
  
She growled, as she pulled open the door to reveal a guy her age with slightly spiked blonde hair and lively blue eyes. He averted his gaze from Raven's bare slender legs. He was all too grateful the shirt she wore draped to mid-thigh. She tapped her bare foot impatiently.  
  
"Grow up Zell. We're all 17 now. Its not like you haven't seen a little leg before. What do you want?!"  
  
Zell's face turned into a light shade of red.  
  
"Headmaster Cid wants to see you. He says it has to do with the fight you and Seifer got in earlier."  
  
Raven grabbed Zell by the front of his shirt in anger.  
  
"You tell Headmaster Cid to get his ass over here if he wants to speak to me. I'm not his charge I do as I please."  
  
She threw him out the door and slammed it closed as her frustration mounted. Her thoughts stayed on the young man she had known as long as she could remember. He was known for being the little goody goody martial arts twerp who could never mind his own business or for that matter keep his mouth shut. But as the years grew on he grew up. And next to that she had to admit his good looks made up for his loserness. She slid her pants back on. She was wide-awake again and needed to burn the extra surge of adrenalin. Before she could finish buttoning her pants a short cubby, balding, man barged into her old room.  
  
"Raven Angelheart! You may not be my charge but you are still a Garden student!"  
  
The brunette shrugged her shoulders causing her arms to flex their thin muscles.  
  
"So what if I am. I happen to have a mind of my own thus I plan on using it."  
  
The headmaster shook his head.  
  
"There you go again. You and Seifer both…"  
  
Raven screeched at him in contempt.  
  
"Don't you dare compare me to that incompetent fool! I am not a childish buffoon who is intent on acting like a stubborn jackass till the end of my days! He is an insolent, inconsiderate, double-crossing, stuck up, spoiled, arrogant, rat-faced, lying SOB who will do anything to get his way. I just try to spend my life to the fullest. SO DON'T EVEN START WITH ME!!"  
  
Headmaster Cid shrank back from the intimidating, obviously PMSing, girl who's eyes flashed with fury. The headmaster quickly left as he spoke.  
  
"All I ask is that you return to your dorm."  
  
Growling Raven grabbed the sword off the foot of her bed and stalked off towards Balaamb garden where she knew Seifer would be waiting to pick a fight. She grabbed her black trench coat out of the doorway and slid it over her shoulders then slid her sword into the hilt that lay across her hip. The moonlight seemed attracked to her as she stepped out onto the fresh spring grass that had just begun to grow. The coat flapped in the cool night air as she swiftly jogged across the field to Balaamb Garden.  
  
"Opps. I had better slid on my boots."  
  
She smiled ever so slightly as she tugged her black ankle high boots out of the trunk and onto her feet.  
  
When she arrived at the garden she blazed a path to her dorm and growled when a girl with blonde hair tied into a bun bumped into her.  
  
"Hey Trepe! Do you ever watch were you'r going? Jeeze Quistis, that's like the sixteenth time you've run me over."  
  
Quistis glared at Raven as she picked herself up off the ground.  
  
"Raven. Lighten up. Quit being so stuck up and learn to cooperate for once in your life."  
  
The girl headed for the training center and Raven continued on her way to the dormitory. Her anger subsided slightly when she saw a young man with crazy brown hair and intense blue eyes. She waved to him with her index and middle fingers in the air while the others were tucked into her palm.  
  
"Hey Squall. Nice wound there. Seifer getcha this time?"  
  
Squall shrugged indifferently and ran a finger over the open wound on his face.  
  
"Not without getting his fair share of the damage."  
  
Raven nodded at him and went into her room.  
  
"Night." 


	2. 2

Chapter 2  
  
Rolling over the edge of her bed Raven slammed her head on the floor sharply. Hey voice bounced off the walls as she shot up off the ground with her hands wrapped tightly around her throbbing head.  
  
"SON OF A!!!"  
  
She rubbed her head as she grabbed the side of her bed with her free hand and pulled herself to her feet. A smile glanced over her face for a about half a second as she was a small tray of food on her desk with a note attached to it.  
  
'Good luck on today's test.  
  
-Zell'  
  
She shook her head.  
  
'I don't get it. I treat him like crap. I ignore him. I yell at him. Yet…aw hell!!"  
  
Raven scarfed down the bagel and slammed the juice beside it. A wide yawn escaped from her mouth as she ambled to the shower for her morning wash. She honestly loved living in the garden. Everyone had something to do which filled the place with energy. And there were only two people there who were considered unfriendly. Squall and obviously herself. The instructors here do a wonderful job on educating the students about numerous things, and even outside of class they were kind and helpful. Raven brought her head upright when she felt a body thrown against her own. Turning to see who it was she realized it was Zell she was helping to his feet and it had been a real mean looking guy with spiked blonde hair and slanted blue eyes. Her lips parted slightly as she growled menacingly at the jerk.  
  
"What the hell do you want Seifer?"  
  
Seifer smirked at the younger girl who was propping up Zell by kneeling down and wrapping her arm around his bare chest before she helped him up.  
  
"Oh nothing really. Just do me a favor and say cheese."  
  
He pulled a camara from behind his back and snapped the shutter to get a picture that was bound to give the idea that anything but what was really going on. Both Raven and Zell shrieked at the top of their lungs as Seifer ran out of the room lauging like a hyena.  
  
"SEIFER I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"  
  
Their screams echoed through the hallways as Raven glared at her doorway, forgetting that she still was holding Zell close to her body. Zell placed a hand on the ground with a smirk on his slightly redden face and leaned back just a little bit to get her attention. Zell lost himself in his thoughts.  
  
'Why is it of all people I ended up attracted to her. Raven Angelheart. Oh yea. She was different before Akai left early as a full fledged SeeD.'  
  
Raven pulled Zell up onto his feet and spun him to face her.  
  
"WHAT NOW! You're the socialite. How do we fix this?"  
  
Zell smirked.  
  
"We give'em what they want."  
  
Raven's brows furrowed in confusion at Zell's odd way of asking her out. Zell laughed lightly at the fact that Raven didn't catch on.  
  
"Rave. If they think we are a couple. We'll give em a couple. Then we'll beat the hell outta Seifer."  
  
Raven cracked her knuckles aimlessly.  
  
"Couple…no. But I like the sound of kicking Seifer's pretty boy ass."  
  
As she finished what she had to say a loud crash sounded right outside her door. She bolted to her doorway only to see a tangled up group of three in front of Squall as he waved the picture in front of him tauntingly at Raven.  
  
"Explain."  
  
Raven kicked one of the bodies which turned out to be that of Seifer's.  
  
"Well I was headed into my shower when someone was thrown onto me, obviously Zell. So I turned to help him up and you can guess that Seifer was waiting in the doorway camera in hand."  
  
She kicked Seifer twice more as she spoke. Holding out her hand she stepped on Seifer's as she asked Squall for the picture. Instead of handing it to her he leaned over to Zell and placed it in his hands. Zell then took off running to his own dorm room. Daggers shot from Raven's eyes as she glared at Squall in contempt. He refrained from asking her a personal question and turned to his room. Raven titled her head at him causing her brown hair to cascade down her left shoulder.  
  
"What's on your mind Squall. And don't you dare tell me nothing. I've known you for too long to fall for that."  
  
Squall brushed a lock of hair from his face with a gloved hand.  
  
"Get dressed and then come into my room. We can talk then."  
  
Raven sighed and scrambled to get her black peasants dress on. As she slid it on she used her feet to feel around for the high-heeled boots she always wore. After she slid them on she slid her sword in its hilt and placed them in the proper place on her hip. Then she pulled on her trench coat on as she tried to find the cowboy hat Zell had given her when she had turned 12. Seeing it she snatched it and placed it onto her head thus covering the top half of her French braid. Raven strode into Squall's room as he was pulling on his white shirt over his chest. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she waited by the doorway with a small smirk on her face.  
  
"Don't you ever knock?"  
  
Pretending to concentrate on the question she furrowed her brows and lightly bit her bottom lip.  
  
"Ummm lemme think. No. No. I don't believe I do."  
  
Squall sighed at Raven's strange sence of humor.  
  
"What if a girl had been in the room with me? What if I hadn't have been dressed?"  
  
Raven shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Well there are two options there. I could throw her out the door and beat her to death. Or do what I normally do and be indifferent. As for not being dressed…I wouldn't mind in the least. Besides. You may darn well be the best looking guy in the Garden. You and Zell that is. But uh might I remind you that you are an unsentimental loner. Girls cant stand guys like that!"  
  
Squall felt as though he was going to smile but he quickly covered it up by talking.  
  
"So. What happened to you?"  
  
Raven frowned, not understanding his question.  
  
"What do you mean Squall?"  
  
Zell's voice came gently from behind her.  
  
"Before Akai left you laughed, smiled, you still had a really demented sence of humor, you cried, you were happy. Now your either pissed off or indifferent. You've changed."  
  
Raven cringed as Zell spoke of the girl she had buried away long ago.  
  
"That was when I was a weak, helpless, confused, fool. Useless at that. After Akai left I decided to grow up."  
  
She stormed out of the room and headed towards the second floor class room. Zell and Squall watched after her as she marched away from them, her heels clacking loudly as she made her way down the hall. Zell shook his head.  
  
"I think your more confused now than before." 


	3. 3

Chapter 3.  
  
'SO WHAT IF I'VE CHANGED!!! Its for the better. I don't depend on others and they cant depend on me. I won't let em! Humph. Squall can be a self-dependant jerk and no one minds him, but I even try and everyone jumps down my throat. What's the diff?'  
  
She sat in her desk glaring at Instructor Trepe. That woman had been on her case for a year now. Raven rubbed her forehead.  
  
"Hey. Quisits. I'm sure we don't have to know WHY GF's are junctionable."  
  
Quisits ignored Raven and continued with the lecture. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Seifer smiling at her eerily. She felt like hurling as some of his thoughts seeped into her mind.  
  
Man o man. The years are doing her well. The attitude sounds fun. Knowing her its probably creative too! Oh!! I wonder what she looks like without the clothes. I've gotta ask the chicken wuss about her legs. Her shirts are tight enough for a close guess though.  
  
Raven pulled her hat over her eyes and blocked out his thoughts with her own.  
  
Hm. I'm gonna fall into a coma if Quistis here doesn't hurry up. Akai if only you stayed home. None of this would have happened. But you left even after what Matron showed us back at the orphanage. I've met up with the rest of the gang. Or most anyhow. Seifer is still a jerk as usual. More of a perv though. Zell, boy has he gotten some looks, but still a bit of a goody goody, and might I mention LOUD. Squall moody. Quisits so bossy she is an instructor here at the Garden. Oh Akai. If you can hear me. Please come home.  
  
Class ended and she felt a hand on her shoulder and she brushed it off with her own. The hands owner spoke quietly.  
  
"Raven I'm sick of this. Whats done is done. The past is over. You can't change what happened. You can only accept it or it will eventually kill you."  
  
Raven calmed down at the sound of Zell's voice.  
  
"Quit quoting the dead Zell."  
  
Zell forced Raven to face him. Anger burned inside him but he did his best to suppress it.  
  
"I'm not. Akai is alive. And you will find her. But if you keep this up it'll damage you even worse."  
  
Raven could only mutter two words for she refused to admit she was wrong even though she knew it.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
Zell relented when he realized that no matter what he said Raven wouldn't change her mind without being able to admit it. He said one last thing before he left the practically empty room.  
  
"Well at least one thing stayed with you. Your still as stubborn as when you got here."  
  
Raven rolled her eyes and got up to leave to the cafeteria. She stopped as she spotted an envelope resting where Zell had been sitting. It was a letter with no return address. She pulled out the letter and decided to read it.  
  
"Zell,  
  
Please watch out for Raven. I know she's rather well, frustrating at times but I know you'll do the best you can. Besides remember our promise before I left. I swore I would come back when I could. In turn you promised to take care of Raven. You forced me to promise cause you were totally gaga over her and you didn't want the others to know. They say its pretty obvious though. ^_^ I miss you guys so much. I would practically give anything to see you all again. Well I have to go.  
  
Your Friend  
  
Tsumi Akai" 


End file.
